Portrait of an artist
Carefully crafted 'selfies' become fascinating works of art that demand a closer look, Wang Qian reports.
A selfie is, by definition, of the self. It is an image taken by the image taker. The word, like the technology used, may be modern, but looking at a self-image is steeped in history and myth.
In Greek mythology there is Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. He pined away in despair until he finally died of thirst. Immortality was granted when he turned into the flower which bore his name.
It is a field of activity ripe to be exploited by an artist.
Liu Ziqian has stepped up to the challenge. She has elevated the selfie to achieve, she says, harmony between humans and nature, and to offer alternative perspectives for people to ponder.
With her photos, she has not only garnered numerous followers on Instagram and Sina Weibo but also won critical acclaim. As an emerging, promising artist, she exhibited at the Exhibition of Photography in Reality and Instagram Continuum in Hong Kong, which took place in March and April 2019, and at the Ethereal: A Daily Poetry in the international photo expo in Paris in May 2019.
She was selected among the top 30 women photographers under 30 this year by Artpil, an international organization with a focus on modern and contemporary art.
